Modular apartment buildings were often the norm in the communist-era of the former East Germany. With a reputation as dreary and shoddy, hundreds of thousands of the less appealing apartments were demolished by the federal government following the re-unification of East and West Germany when communism ended in November, 1989. Large-panel-system (LPS) construction, called Plattenbau (meaning a building put together from slabs) in German, comprises 55.5 percent of the apartments in the state of Saxony in east central Germany. The vacancy rate had been as high as 20 percent plus, but has dropped to eight percent due to the demolition, which has also contributed to the addition of more greenspace, parking and playgrounds for the remaining units, making them more desireable. Much like in the United States, modular housing has an image problem; but as gulf-times.com informs MHProNews, demand is growing for the apartments among the younger set and new families, especially in larger urban areas where restaurants and taverns are burgeoning nearby.
